Neighborhoods
Trapper Called to Remove Large Lizard
The tegu lizard was spotted under a house on Ollie Road northwest of Lakeland.
Food Truck Park Seen for Parker Street Area
A six-day-a-week food truck park combined with a small dog park and a comfortable bar is a Lakeland agency’s latest idea to continue redeveloping the Parker Street neighborhood just north of downtown.
That idea came a bit closer to reality Thursday when a city board made a formal recommendation that Lakeland’s Community Redevelopment Agency spend up to $440,000 to convert the lot at the northwest corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Parker Street into a public gathering space centered around food trucks.
Planning Board OKs Compromise on Building Heights
- City commissioners seeking greater residential density near downtown asked their staff to look into the issue last year.
- The recommendations the staff returned included raising height limits for multi-family buildings in places like the Lake Morton District and Dixieland from 40 feet to 70 feet.
- Residents of those neighborhoods registered intense displeasure in community meetings, saying high-rise apartments would damage the historic character of the surroundings.
- As a result, the staff changed their recommendation for height limits to 55 feet.
- The Lakeand Planning and Zoning Board approved the compromise height in a 4-2 vote Tuesday.
- Next: The issue goes back to the City Commission.
- Epilogue: The commissioners who spoke most passionately about increasing urban density are no longer on the board.
- View video highlights of the planning meeting on The City Zen Ship and read the planning staff’s most recent report here.
She Fell in Love With Lakeland, Renovated a House and Won an Award
Karen Francis said she fell in love with Lakeland and a bungalow near Lake Morton when she visited from Miami a few years ago. She ended up buying the house at 801 Success Ave., and her efforts to renovate it were honored Monday night with a preservation award from Historic Lakeland Inc.